NOTES AND OUTLINES 



BY 

A. T. ROBINSON, A.M. 

PROreSSOR OF ENGLISH IN THE MASSACHUSETTS 
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 



D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO 



NOTES AND OUTLINES 



BY 

AfT. ROBINSON, A.M. 

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN THE MASSACHUSETTS 
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 



D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO 






Copyright. 1922, 
By D. C. Heath & Co. 



C1A686277 



PRINTED IN U.S.A. 



OCT 14 '22 



1 . ^. t 



^ FOREWORD 

*^ To effect the savings that come from large-scale pro- 
0^ duction, the modern manufacturer must employ people 
and sell to people with whom he cannot get into close 
personal relations. They must be influenced through 
the printed page or the typed sheet, and so we find him 
developing departments of correspondence, hiring men 
to guide him in his relations with his employees, giving 
much thought to letters which he uses in sales campaigns, 
and establishing a department to instruct his workmen 
and office help on the routine of their daily work and the 
scope of their duties. In other words, the business man 
of to-day of necessity puts great emphasis on the literary 
end of his work. He issues a monthly and weekly journal 
to keep his employees contented, another to hearten 
his salesmen, and a third, perhaps, to impress his custo- 
mers with the spirit of good will and service in his or- 
ganization. He develops charts and books of standard 
practise instruction; house memoranda fly back and 
forth from department to department; mail comes and 
goes in such large quantities that it must be opened 
and sealed by machine. The library in the plant keeps 
his people abreast of technical and business improve- 
ments. Perhaps even a trained writer prepares journal 
articles about the business, its methods and its founder. 
In short, modern large-scale production gives to language 
and to print an importance never before claimed for 
them. 



iv FOREWORD 

In the same way the student is taking advantage of 
the savings of large-scale production. He needs the 
best talent and extensive building equipment. These 
he can afford only if he shares them with many other 
people. He, too, like the business man, must use people 
and sell to people with whom he cannot get into close 
personal relations. His voice and personahty will not 
carry him far. Oral answers in class seldom do a man 
justice. In a section of twenty-five or thirty the indi- 
vidual is not conspicuous. Only about six per cent of 
the men in such a group will be readily remembered, a 
year later, by either their teacher or their classmates 
as distinctly marked individuahties. Under these con- 
ditions men must score, if at all, through their tests 
and reports. Then, too, personal impressions fade; 
but the written work is always there and forms part of 
the evidence when the verdict is made up. The writing 
represents the writer when he cannot represent himseK. 
It is his advertising and sales department. 

So in both business life and school more attention is 
now being paid to paper work, particularly that part of 
it which is to go out to other people to inform them of 
the writer's accompHshment or to convince them of his 
ability. The present pamphlet attempts to help in this 
reform. It deals with the student's paper work, his 
"house memoranda," and shows how this may be put 
into a form and dress that will not conceal or disgrace 
good substance. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Cover and Binding 1 

Report Form 6 

Outlines 13 

The Bibliography 16 

Rough Notes 21 

Abstracts : 34 

Examinations 39 



COVER AND BINDING 

In effective presentation, neatness is the first requisite. 
Written work in school and college, Uke business papers 
of other sorts, should be typed if possible. It should be 
done on sheets approximately 8 by 10| inches in size 
and presented in a backer, perforated and bound at the 
top. Only one side of the page should be used, and 
there should be at least a one-inch margin on all edges. 
Clean hands, a clean desk or table surface, and an en- 
velope or cover in case the work must be carried about in 
a bag, are all important. 

The uppermost page in a copy thus bound is the title- 
page. It should have a dignified and pleasing appearance, 
give all the information necessary in handling the paper, 
and put emphasis on important information. 

Good appearance means, in this case, what it would 
mean in free-hand drawing or advertising "display," — 
i.e. proper type or lettering; proper centering, and bal- 
ance of type and margins; and a simple and inteUigible 
design or blocking out of the whole page. 

The information necessary on a title-page is as follows : 

The title of the paper. 

The author's name, section, and year. 

The name of the course. 

The instructor's name. 
Of this information the author's name, class, and section 
is the most important, and should be placed, usually, 

1 



2 CO^^R AND BINDING 

near the "optical centre" of the page, with plenty of 
white space about it. The next most important item is 
the title, which may be placed in the customan,^ posi- 
tion, at the head of the page. From these general rules 
there may be many departm'es, following personal taste 
and the search for decorative effect. The specunen 
title-pages which follow tstU make the possibihties more 
clear. 

The first and second of these are ordinary tjiJed pages, 
with reasonable attention to design and spacing. The 
third is a hand-lettered design of unusually fine artistic 
quahty. 



REPORT 

OP 

SUMMER READING 



By 

John Doe, Section 7, '24 



Books 

Jungle Peace William Beebe 

The Turkish Empire Lord Eversley 

Russia 1914-17 Basil Gourko 



Por Professor Richard Roe 

June, 1922. 
3 



• REPORT 

on 
THE LIBRARY BUREAU, CAMBRIDG-E , MASS 



Erom: John Doe, Section 19 
To: Mr. Richard Roe 



MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OE TECHNOLOGY 



YEAR 1923 E 58 OCTOBER 20, 1921 



N 



REPORT ON THE 

LOCATION AND RELATIVE IMPORTANCE 

OF THE 

THREE GREATEST GOLD MINING DISTRICTS 

OF THE WORLD 



ML. CARNEY 
SECTION 



FOR MR. HEADSTONE FEBRUARY 12,1922. 



REPORT FORM 

The form used in reports is a business-like means of 
transmitting information and opinions to people who 
are busy and require to have things put before them so 
that they can quickly get a conception of the whole, or 
readily find any detail. Am-thing one desires to say 
may be put into report form. It would not, of course, 
be wholly convenient for a short story, though Coleridge 
used it in "The Ancient jNIariner." Report form is 
peculiarly suitable for work transmitted from student 
to instructor. We must assmne that all teachers are 
personal!}^ interested in all their students, free of bias, 
and enthusiastic about all work that comes to their 
desks; but we must never act on this assumption. The 
man who prepares and hands in a student exercise must 
use his imagination to construct the reader. He must 
say to himself, "This must please a reader who, at the 
end of a long evening, — which he would rather have 
spent at a concert, — finds he has read fifty such papers 
and takes this up as the fifty-fii'st. I will show him how 
to get through it at record speed." 

In a report, as the reader turns back the title-page, 
abeady described, he next comes, perhaps, upon a letter, 
addressed to himself and submitting the report. This is 
a poHte attention, but is not indispensable unless there 
are special conditions to be explained. A specimen 
letter of transmittal is given below. 



REPORT FORM 



27 Central Street, 

Camloridge , Massachusetts 
NovemlDer 3, 1922 

Mr. Henry Steffins, 

Director of Student Research, 

Carraway Institute, Camliridge, Mass. 

Dear Mr. Steffins: 

In compliance with your 
suggestion that I study the distribution 
of Kolpax Piston-rings in garages along 
the road "between Chestnut Hill and 
iFraminghara Junction, I submit a report 
and tabulation of interviews with twelve 
garage owners and owners* representatives. 
On account of the large number of jobbers 
named as represented in this district I 
thought it best to wait for further advice 
from you before attempting interviews 
among jobbers or jobbers' salesmen. 

I hope that the report as 
submitted will give you the needed informa- 
tion, but shall be glad to supplement it in 
any way in my power. 

Very sincerely yours, 

Following the letter, if there is one, is the table of 
contents, which is, in effect, a brief outline of the report, 



8 REPORT FORM 

v\-ith the topics in order and the page on which each may 
be found. The following is a specimen page from a 
table of contents. 



TABLE OP COWTEITTS 

Page 

Report -------------___ 4 

Summary -------_-______ 4 

Introduction ------------- 4 

Method of Investigation ------- 6 

Roads 

Waterbound Macadam -------- 7 

Bitujninous Macadam -------- 7 

Cement Concrete -_----_-_ q 

Brick-Concrete Base ------- 9 

Conclusions- ------------- n 

Recommendations- ----------- 12 

Appendices 

Appendix A — Merits of Hard- surface 

Roads- ------------- 13 

Appendix 3 — Approximate Cost - - 15 



FoUo-^ing the table of contents comes the report 
itself. Here the table of contents is reproduced in the 
form of headings between paragraphs. In addition, where 
the text under an individual heading covers several 
points, a marginal word or phrase is sometimes set against 
each important paragraph, as a key to its substance. 
The following specimen pages from a report will show 
the form. 



REPORT FORM 9 

HOOD RUBBER COMPAITY SERVICE DEPARTMENT 
WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS 

INTRODUCTION 

PURPOSE. The purpose of this report is to 
investigate and explain the organization and 
functions of the Service Department of the 
Hood RutlDer Company, Watertown, Massa- 
chusetts . 

METHOD PURSUED . The investigation was 
carried on "by means of an inspection of the 
■buildings, an interview with the Plant 
Legal Advisor, and a study of the literature 
that is published "by the Plant. 

REPORT 

HISTORY. Seven or eight years ago the "begin- 
ning of a Service Department was estab- 
lished. The object was to study the con- 
ditions under which the men worked, and to 
try to keep the workers contented. At this 
time no one thought to what extent this small 
service to employees would be enlarged in 
the future. Since that time the service to 
employees has constantly grown, and today 
there is a well organized department, the 



10 REPORT FORM 

purpose of which is "to create an efficient, 
healthy, stalDle "body of wortonen." 

ORGAITIZATION. The Service Department is 
controlled "by a Service Manager (under whom 
are alDout sixty-five co-workers) who directs 
the activities of the five sections into 
which the whole department is divided. 
These su'b-depa.rtments are for the purpose of 
employment, health, safety and sanitation, 
education, and general service. 

EMPLOYMEITT SECTION. The Employment Section 
is not classed under the Service Department 
at present, although up to a recent date it 
has "been. However, since there is no defi- 
nite "boundary "between the activities of the 
two departments, in discussing the Service 
Department it is only right to include the 
Employment Section. The pri- 
mary purpose of this section Purpose 
is to hire people to fill the 
vacant positions. All women applicants are 
interviewed "by a woman, all men "by a man. 
The actual hiring is "based on j oId specifica- 
tions and analyses which are 
made up for that purpose, the Jo"b 
people heing sent to the posi- Analysis 
tion to which they are "best 
adapted. To make sure that the new employee 
is in the j o"b "best fitting his qualities, a 
month or so after the man 
starts workhis record is looked Eollow "Qp 
up, and he is again inter- 
viewed. If it is more advantageous for the 



REPORT FORM 11 

i'irm he is transferred to another position. 
This follow-up process is con- 
tinued until the man is fi- Transfer 
nally established. Should a 
man "be qualified for promo- Promotion 
tion, it is through this sec- 
tion that the promotion is 
made. All grievances against Grievances 
other workers or the S'irm are 
communicated to this. section for investiga- 
tion. Leaving employees are interviewed to 
ascertain whether there is a part of the 
concern that is badly managed, or where 
working conditions are not up to the usual 
standard, and to insure an impartial hear- 
ing. All individual and turn- 
over records are kept by the Records 
Employment Section. 

HEALTH SECTION. "The Company regards the 
health and welfare of all its employees as 
one of the foundations of a prosperous con- 
cern." Eor this purpose a 
Health Section has been estab- Purpose 
lished in the Service Depart- 
ment. This section physically examines 
applicants for employment . Any 
persons having a form of^disease Physical 
that they are liable to have Examina- 
for a considerable length of tion 
time are examined very fre- 
quently; otherwise employees are examined 
only once a year. This section advises the 



12 REPORT FORM 

Employment Section as to the duties that 

defectives may perform. X-ray, dental, 

ocular and medical equipment 

are kept in separate rooms in Equipment 

a "hospital," where employees 

are treated at a very reasonable charge. 

There are doctors and nurses present during 

working hours. 

The purpose of this form of presentation is evident. 
The reader may know at a glance what is here and where 
it is. He may confine himself to reading the smnmary 
or conclusion if he wishes; he may read such details 
as he needs to read; he may judge the scope and arrange- 
ment by reading merely the Table of Contents; or he 
may go through the whole with care and then follow 
through into the details in the Appendix. Only a man 
who is sound asleep can get away from such a paper 
without being to some degree impressed. 



OUTLINES 

The writing of a report in the form just described pre- 
supposes a plan. This may be made by collecting ma- 
terial, say on cards or shps of paper, and then arranging 
it in an effective and logical order, or by forming an 
outline of points which ought to be covered and then 
gathering material. The following outline on the devel- 
opment of imperialism in the United States was made by 
employing a mixture of these methods. It was drawn 
up, in preparation for an examination, by a student who 
had been reading a chronological history of the United 
States. He wished to prepare himself for examination, 
and thought he was likely to be questioned on topics 
rather than on periods. His logical outline, then, would 
follow the years from the Alaskan Purchase down. His 
material, as collected, would be in order if he followed 
the order of the book. The remaining task was to set 
facts down under properly subordinated headings, and 
under each entry to express the idea fully enough so that 
his mind, in review, could take hold of it and fill it out 
with details. What he meant to say about Mexico, 
under IV. 6, in relation to imperialism, might not be 
clear to others; but he probably knew. Our relations 
with Mexico are an interesting example of our foreign 
policy, — or lack of it, — and he was probably right in 
thinking that the mere name would recall to his mind a 
wealth of detail. Under Insular Cases, III., c, 1, 2, on 
the contrary, he has taken pains to be specific. On the 
whole the outline is admirably constructed. 

13 



14 OUTLINES 

DEVELOPMENT OF IMPERIALISM 

I. Growth of Imperialism. 

1. Alaskan Purchase — 1867. "Seward's Refrigerator." 

2. Argiiments of Imperialists. Business. 

3. Eyes on Cuba. 

II. United States a World Power. Spanish American War Charges. 

1. Importance of the Pacific. 

a) Samoa — 1872 Tutuila annexed 1839. 

b) Hawaii — 1875 Hawaii annexed 1898 by joint reso- 
lution like Texas. "Shirt sleeve diplomacy." 

c) Phihppines — 1898 $20,000,000 

1. 1902 — Philippme Act. 

2. 1916 — Jones Act. 

3. 1921 — Wood Commission. 

(l) Guam— 1898. 

2. Interest ia Atlantic Waters. 

a) Cuba' — Pre-Civil War Interest. 

1. Strategic Importance. 

2. Permanent Relations. 

a) Teller Resolution — 1898. 
6) Piatt Amendment — 1901. 

c) Cuba Released — 1912. 

d) Military Occupation (1906-1909) Interregnum. 

b) Porto Rico. 

1. 1900 — Foraker Act. 

2. 1917 — Citizenship in U. S. 

III. Constitutionality of our Colonial Policy. 

a) War Governors. 

6) Does the Constitution follow the flag ? 

1. Are subjects citizens? 

2. Are coimtries within customs limits? 



OUTLINES 15 

c) Insular Cases. 

1. De Luna vs. Bidwell. (Collector of Port of N. Y.) 
a) Porto Rico not a foreign country. 

2. Downes vs. Bidwell. 

a) Constitution applies only to States and Congress 
has unlimited power over possessions and deter- 
mines how far Constitution shall be applied. 

IV. Later Imperialism. 

1. Campaign of 1900. Bryan and Imperialism. 

2. Panama Canal episode. (Hay-Herran treaty — 1903) 

3. Taft, Knox and Dollar Diplomacy. 

4. Wilson and the Virgin Islands — 1917. 

5. Unofficial proposal that England pay debt in W. I. Islands. 

6. Me.xico. 

The following outline was made by a student of modern 
European history, again in preparation for an examina- 
tion. The class treatment had led him to expect that 
he might be called on to discuss certain topics covered 
in brief debates. He, therefore, took the questions as 
given, collected hints wherever they could be found in 
text or notes, and set them down in what he considered 
the order of emphasis. 

Were the troubles in Russia due to the attempt to hurry re- 
forms for which the Russian people were not prepared? 

(a) Methods in emancipation of the serfs and effects of emanci- 
pation. 

(b) Backwardness in education. 

(c) Degree of advancement of the city industrial population 
and its po.ssible leadership. 

(d) Extent of training in local self-government. 

(e) Extent to which nihilism, socialism and anarchism were 
supported among the peasants prior to the Russo-Japanese 
War. 

(/) Effect of the differences in racial groups on the develop- 
ment of national consciousness. 



THE BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Photographs, tabulated material, long quotations, and 
printed enclosiu'es "^ill natm-ally be placed at the end of 
the report, numbered as Appendices and referred to bj' 
notes at appropriate points in the text. 

Either as part of tliis appenchx material or presented 
on a separate page preceding it will be a hst of books 
and articles consulted. On this matter of references 
there must be the clearest understanding. ^Material 
quoted directly is to be enclosed in quotation marks. 
INIaterial given in substance is to be properly acknowl- 
edged. The method may be illustrated as follows: 

In commenting on the smprises of the struggle for 
the Parhament Bill, :Mr. Frank DHnot says: "The 
upper classes foimd it hard to realize that it was even 
possible for them to be beaten by 'Sir. Lloyd George, 
did not beUeve it to be a feasible proposition that the 
great mass of the prosperous well-to-do men, who 
had inherited vast domains and were demigods in the 
coxmtryside, could possibly be vanquished b}' an army 
drawn to some extent from the middle classes, but 
verj- largely from the poorer classes, led by a visionary 
demagogue Uke the Chancellor of the Exchequer. . . . 
They were naturally enough prejudiced against }^Ir. Lloyd 
George — as Liberals a generation before had been 
prejudiced against Mr. Joseph Chamberlain: but 
they made the great and vital mistake of under-rating 
their chief opponent, under-rating his motives first of 
all, but more important still in the situation of the 
moment, under-rating his strategy* and foresight." ^ 

1 Dihiot, Frank The Old Order Changeth. p. 113 — London, 1911. 

16 



THE BIBLIOGRAPHY 17 

Or: 

There was a tendency among Conservatives to under- 
estimate Mr. Lloyd George, not quite to appreciate 
his powers of strategy or to honor his motives. As Mr. 
Frank Dilnot points out in " The Old Order Chart geth" 
he was regarded as a visionary demagogue, not par- 
ticularly dangerous. How could an opposition led by 
him, and made up partly from the middle class but 
largely from the poorer classes, — how could this party 
hope to beat the great mass of prosperous, well-to-do 
men, strengthened by large inheritance? 

This method of using material from books, pamphlets 
and newspapers is irreproachable and safe. There are 
few serious topics on which a student can write without 
preparatory reading. His own experience is of course 
available for written work, and should be used whenever 
it is pertinent. As for other material, it is wholly accept- 
able as a source of ideas if acknowledged. 

The following bibliographies are given as examples of 
method. They represent two extremes. The first is 
detailed and annotated. It is not, of course, complete 
even for its date — October, 1920, — but it represents 
a real attempt to handle the material which the writer 
found quickly available. 



18 THE BIBLIOGRAPHY 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 
BOOKS 

Basset, William R. 

When the Workmen Help You Manage. 

The Century Company, 1916 

This book is written from the managerial point of view by a 
member of a firm of industrial engiaeers. Mr. Basset empha- 
sizes the recognition of the human factor ia industry, showing 
how production and profits have been increased by giving workers 
a voice in those pohcies which directly concern them. The poU- 
cies outlined are based on the experience gained in eighteen 
years' practice as an industrial engineer in more than a thousand 
factories, and also on investigations made in Germany, England, 
Scotland and HoUand. He does not sanction profit-sharing, 
nor does he advocate sudden radical changes. 

Leitch, John 

Man to Man. B. C. Forbes Pub. Co., 1919 

A worth-while story by a man who got results, telling how 
he got from 30 to 300 per cent more work from the workers, 
how he secured their whole-hearted interest in their work, and 
incidentally increased their paj^ and the profits per capita. His 
methods of eliminating labor antagonism and dissatisfaction 
have done away -s^-ith time-killing tactics and waste of raw ma- 
terial, and reduced labor turnover. 



PERIODICALS 

Aborn, William G. and Shafer, William L. 

Representative SJiop Committees. Ind. Man. 58: 29-32 July '19 

An excellent account of the shop committee plans used in the 
vicinity of Bridgeport, Conn. Some fift}' plants in this com- 
munity have cooperated in developing the plan to a high degree 
of perfection. 



THi: BIBLIOGRAPHY 19 

Fish, E. H. 

Some Dangers of Shop Committees. Iiul. Man. 58: 205-6 Sept. '19 
Mr. Fish warns of the dangers of politics entering into shop 
committee elections. Worthy of consideration. 

Kibby, W. J. 

Getting Together. hid. Man. 56 : 237 Sept. '18 

This article emphasizes the necessity of educating foremen, 

and thus strengthening the ties between labor and management. 

Larkin, J. N. 

Employees' Representation. Ind. Man. 57 : 503 June '19 

As assistant to the President of the Bethlehem Steel Company, 
Mr. Larkin had valuable experience in organizing shop com- 
mittees. This article deals with his experience at the Bethlehem 
plants, giving in detail the method there used. 

Renold, C. G. 

Shop Comviittees in Practice. Survey, 41 : 761-5 March 1, '19 
An interesting review of the various types of shop committee 
plans used in England, at the suggestion of the Whitely Reports. 
The strong and weak points of the plans are discussed, together 
with the difficulties encountered. Mr. Renold is the Managing 
Director of Hans Renold, Ltd., Manchester, England. 

Stoddard, W. L. 

Labor and the Shop Commitiee. Ind. Man. 58 : 217-220 Sept. '19 
The reasons for organized labor's opposition to the shop com- 
mittee idea. 

Stoddard, W. L. 

Methods of Shop Committee Elections. Ind. Man. 58 : 305 Oct. '19 

This article takes up in detail the various methods of elections, 
cautioning against politics. 

Stoddard, W. L. 

Shop Committees in Action. Survey, 42 : 28-30 April 5, '19 

An enlightening article dealing with the shop committee as 

it actually operates. Mr. Stoddard is an authority on shop 



20 THE BIBLIOGRAPHY 

committee plans, and, because of his broad experience, he is 
able to present his subject concretely. 

Stoddard, W. L. 

The Committee System in A?nerican Shops. 

Ind. Man. 57 : 473-6 June '19 

. A brief review of the beginnings of the installation of some 
form of representative shop committee, with references to the 
experience of British industrj^ 

WaUer, H. T. 

Fundamental Factors in Sound Industrial Relations. 

Ind. Man. 56: 367 Nov. '18 

The author uses a rather unusual method of setting forth the 
ideas which he considers essential to an understanding between 
employers and emploj-ees. Illustrated with cartoons. 

Wolf, D. 

Successful Industrial Democracy. Ind. Man. 56 : 67-71 July '19 

Freedom of self-expression is essential, says Mr. WoK. He 
pleads for more opportunities for self-expression, such as home 
products exhibits, etc. 

The second bibliography is merely a statement of the 
material used. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

GaUoway, Lee Factory and Office Administration. 1917 

Gerstenberg, C. W. Principles of Business. 1919 

Leffingwell, W. H. Office Management. 1917 

Nicholson, J. L. Factory Organization and Costs. 1911 

Schultze, J. W. The American Office. 1913 
Scott, W. D. Increasing Human Efficiency in 

Business. 1919 

Shaw, A. W. Co. How to Manage an Office 1914 



ROUGH NOTES 

During the first year in college the student is likely to 
be given part of his instruction in lectures to large groups. 
To get the most from these hours he must learn to concen- 
trate, to select the important points, and to make clear 
memoranda of what he has heard before it is too late. 
This must be done dming the hour. Afterwards these 
rough notes must be worked over while they are still 
intelligible, compared with assigned readings, and put 
into permanent form. 

This is a minimum program, for the average man. It 
assumes that the lectures are normal and that the man is 
normal. If a lecturer in physics, for instance, wishes to 
show that he is also a man of the world, he may spend 
some moments in discussing the Far Eastern Republic or 
in telling what part he took in the Boston police strike. 
During those moments the lecture is not normal, and 
rules are suspended. The same is true if the student has 
a photographic memory or is palsied in both hands. But 
these are exceptional cases. In modern large-scale edu- 
cation we assume that every man is normal unless he 
brings proof to the contrary. 

The rough notes taken in the class-room are best 
done in ink, if the pen works properly. The most work- 
manlike note-book is a loose-leaf binder, to hold pages 
of typewritten size, approximately 8| by 11 inches. 
Small note-books, fitting the pocket, make for cramped 
work and economy of paper. Their use is best for those 

21 



22 ROUGH NOTES 

who wish to sink the student in the man of the w'orld, 
and have not much lecture material either in their note- 
books or in their heads. 

In getting the prehminary notes, the hstener must 
assume that the lecture makes sense, that its parts fit 
together into a coherent whole. If any part of what he 
hears, as he understands it, appears to be nonsense or 
entirely out of connection wdth the Hne of thought, the 
fault is probably in his understanding. He has missed 
the point; or he did not have enough acquaintance with 
the subject to understand the language and to grasp 
the apphcation. To the average or low-grade inteUigence 
much that is heard in large lectures will appear pointless. 
With such material care is necessary. If it seems im- 
portant, though bewildering, it should be noted as heard, 
and marked for further study and questioning. The 
note should be made calmly, without seK-depreciation 
or worry. Just because a man cannot understand every 
speciahst w^ho talks to him, he is not necessarily a fool. 

The further study and questioning on points not under- 
stood should deal with rehable sources, — the textbook; 
the lecturer, if he can be reached; the section instructor; 
or even some student who obiaously has his wits about 
him. A man may be a fraternity brother, a feUow-towns- 
man or a pleasant companion. That does not fit him 
to answer questions on the morning's lecture. One may 
Uke him chiefly because one is not jealous of his superior 
attainments. Save where there is an authoritative an- 
swer to the puzzle presented in the notes, no other answer 
should be accepted. 

So the first lesson in note-taking is that a man does 
not get ahead intellectually if his chief effort is directed 
to conceaUng his ignorance from those about him. There 



ROUGH NOTES 23 

must be contact, often painful, with superior beings, 
many of them conscious of their superiority. That 
contact the man who needs it must force. Otherwise, 
the crowd gets him down and walks on over him, leaving 
him flat. 

Again, the listener must not think that the pleasure 
he gets from hearing a sentence is any measure of its 
value. The most striking parts of a lecture, hke the 
most highly-spiced dishes, are not necessarily the most 
nourishing. Two things only need be preserved in lec- 
ture notes: the facts, and the logical connection. And 
it will be a reliable rough test of the value of the facts 
that they will seem "dry." 

The rough notes taken in a lecture must be not only 
substantial but, above all, suggestive.' The speaker can 
deliver ten or twenty words while the listener is selecting 
and writing one. This one word, then, must be capable 
of bringing back all the others. There are two ways of 
getting this word. The listener may wait till the thought 
of a passage appears clear and complete and then rapidly 
summarize in words of his own choosing. This method 
presupposes a vocabulary, an intelhgent understanding 
of the subject, and an abihty to think about what is 
coming while you are smnmarizing what has passed. 
Few people have these qualifications; but many attempt 
to take notes in this way. Then they complain that 
they cannot keep up with the lecture and are constantly 
losing ideas while writing. 

The other way of getting the suggestive word is to 
select it from the words used by the speaker, never bother- 
ing with his complete sentences, but jotting down here 
and there the striking and characteristic phrases, — the 
key phrases. This process can be kept up without fatigue 



24 ROUGH NOTES 

for an houi\ The other method, the attempt to get 
smooth sentences and connection, leads to full notes 
covering the first fifteen minutes, then nervous strain, 
then discom-agement, and finally a half-hour's blank. 

As an illustration of good method, compare the follow- 
ing passage from Bryce, The American Commonwealth, 
Vol. II. p. 256, with the notes which foUow it. 

The farmer is a keener and more enterprising man than m Europe, 
with more of that coromercial character which one observes in 
Americans, far less anchored to a particular spot, and of course 
subject to no sach influences of territorial magnates as prevail 
iu England, Germany, or Italy. He is so far a business man as 
sometimes to speculate ia graiu or bacon. Yet he is not free from 
the usual defects of agriculturists. He is obstinate, tenacious 
of his habits, not readily- accessible to argument. His way of life 
is plain and simple, and he prides himself on its simpUcity, holding 
the class he belongs to to be the maiastaj* of the country, and 
regarding city-folk with a mixture of suspicion and jealousy, be- 
cause he deems them as inferior to himself in -vdrtue as they are 
superior in adroitness, and likely to outwit him. Sparing rather 
than stingy in his outlays, and Uving largelj* on the produce of 
his own fields, he has so little read}* money that smaU sums appear 
large to him; and as he fails to see why everybody cannot thrive 
and be happy on -SloOO dollars a 3"ear, he thinks that figure a suffi- 
cient salary for a county or district official, and regulates his notions 
of pajTuent for all other officials, judges included, by the same 
standard. To belong to a party, and support it by his vote, seems 
to him part of a citizen's duty, but his interests in national pohtics 
are secondary to those he feels in agriculturists' questions, par- 
ticularly in the great war against monopohes and capitalists, 
which the power and in some cases the tjTanny of the raihoad 
companies has provoked in the West. Xatm-aUy a grumbler, as 
are his brethren ever\-where, finding his isolated life d^lll, and 
often unable to follow the causes which depress the price of pro- 
duce, he is the more easily persuaded that his grievances are due 
to the combinations of designing speculators. The agricultural 
newspaper to which he subscribes, is of course written up to his 



ROUGH NOTES 25 

prejudices, and its adulation of the farming class confirms his 
beUef that he who makes the wealth of the country is tricked out 
of his proper share in its prosperity. Thus he now and then makes 
desperate attempts to right himself by legislation, lending too 
ready an ear to politicians who promise him redress by measures 
possibly unjust and usually unwise. However, after all said and 
done, he is an honest, kindly sort of man, hospitable, religions, 
patriotic : the man whose hard work has made the West what it is. 

The notes which follow are as full as could be expected 
of long-hand notes taken from rapid speaking; the 
words which were selected for preservation are charac- 
teristic and suggestive. They will serve for a long time 
to bring back most of the substance of the reading. 



BRYCE 

Keener than in Europe. Commercial. Not anchored. No 
ter. magnates. Speculates in gr. or bacon. Yet obstinate, not 
easily convinced. Simple life. Thinks his class best. Suspicious 
of city folks; jealous. Thinks likely to outwit. Little ready money. 
Thinks small salaries for office holders. Party man, but not in- 
terested in wider questions, except war against monopoly and 
railroads. Grumbler. Agricul. newspaper also takes this tone. 
Believes self tricked out of share in prosperity. Deceived by de- 
signing pols. with cure-all. Honest, kindly, hosp. religious, patri- 
otic. Has made the West what it is. 

Finally, all abbreviations and approaches to the short- 
hand method used in rough notes should be standardized. 
Otherwise they may mean one thing to-day and another 
to-morrow. In the notes just quoted, for instance, 
"Deceived by designing pols," is safe; "no ter. magnates" 
is not. "Hosp." is, in the context, safe enough. In 
scientific and engineering work many abbreviations are 
already common in the literature, and these occur in 



26 ROUGH NOTES 

the lectures. If the student needs other forms, he must 
build up a set of his own, listing them where they can 
occasionally be reviewed, on a special page in his note- 
book. 

The following pages show an example of note-taking 
in an average first-year college course in chemistry. 
The instructor's outhne, full enough for his purposes, 
would of course have no value for the student. It is 
intended merely to relieve a busy man, standing behind 
a table of apparatus about four yards in length, from 
the bm'den of remembering what comes next. 

The first series of notes was jotted down by a student 
who did not pass the course. He knew Httle and wished 
to know less. He was'spendmg a happy horn', watching 
pretty bubbles rise in test tubes and thinking of his 
plans for the week-end. At intervals of from three to 
five minutes, when hit in the eye by some red color or 
fight from a burning wire, he came up out of the sub- 
conscious and wrote a few words. But even this effort 
was useless because he failed to make clear the principle 
behind the experiment, and so his notes are whoUy 
lacking in logical connection. 

The second set of notes is as good as can be expected, 
considering human weakness and the highly compficated 
problem of follo-^dng a chemistry lecture. 

For the chemistry material the author is indebted to 
Professor Edward ^lueller of the Massachusetts In- 
stitute of Technology. 



ROUGH NOTES 27 

TEACHER'S OUTLINE OF TOPICS 



Science 

Abstract Science 
(a) Philosophy 
(6) Logic 

Descriptive Science 
(a) Botany 
(6) Zoology 

• Concrete Science (phenomena) 

(a) Physics 

(b) Chemistry 

Matter: Ether 

Complexity: Granite 

(a) Mica 
(6) Feldspar 
(c) Quartz 

Energy 

Constancy of Natural Phenomena 

Properties 

Natural Law 

Definition 
Changes in Properties 
Physical Changes: 
Illustrations 
Water 
Wood 
Platinum 
Wood's Alloy 
Crystals of Iodine 

Chemical Changes 
Illustrations 
Wood 
Wood's Metal 



28 ROUGH NOTES 

Magnesium 

Sugar 

K^In04 + FeS04 

Difference between physical and chemical changes 
Kinds of chemir'al change 

Decomposition 

Silver Oxide 
SjTithesis 

Iron + Sulphur 
ISIetathesis 

SUver Xitrate + Sodimn Chloride 
Complex Bodies 

(o) Made by Sj-nthesis 
{b) Decomposable 

Simple Bodies 

(a) Not decomposable at our wiU 
(&) A few decompose spontaneously 

Element (definition) 

Common Elements 
SjTubols 

Oxygen 

Discovered 1774 by Priestly 
Used in 1777 by Lavoisier 

An Element 

(a) Foimd in air, free or uncombined (20 per- cent by vol.) 

(b) Foimd in air dissolved in water (smaU amount) 

(c) Found combined in many oxj^gen-containing compounds 

I. Plants 

II. Animals 

III. Many Foods 

rV. Rocks (marble, granite, sandstone, bricks, pottery) 

V. Water itself A-ields 89 per cent by wgt. of oxygen. 



ROUGH NOTES 29 

STUDENT'S VERSION (1) 

Different kinds of matter. Complex materials of the granite, red 
granite, grayish white granite, quartz and mica. 

Experiment. Material is changed. Water, then applied heat, 
causes vapor, vapor comes in contact with cooling process and 
vapor changes back to liquid which has the same properties that 
the other substance had. 

Experiment. Iodine is changed by being heated. Forms back to 
glistening crystals. 

E.xperiment. Power applied to platinum wire changes physically 
but is same. Change is physical and not chemical. 

Experiment. Burned wood undergoes chemical change. 

Experiment. Burned wire (not platinum) undergoes chemical 
change. Wire is elastic. 

Difference between chemical and physical change. Look at ma- 
terials before and after experiments. Find what properties it has 
and compare those properties after experiment. If different 
after experiment it underwent chemical change in material. 

Chemical Change: the material or substance is different after 
experiment. Chemical changes are caused by means of electric 
energy, light energy and gas energy. 

Experiment. Physical effect of light increases the speed of black 
flag, in test tube. 

Ex-periment. Brown substance + heat = white substance + gas. 
Two materials from one : called endothermal change. Silver oxide 
+ heat energy produces silver + oxygen. 

Experiment. Can separate sulphur and iron in two ways. One 
is by means of magnet which attracts iron. The other is by adding 
an acid and straining them. Chemical change with iron and sulphur 
is synthesis. Iron + sulphur gives iron sulphide + (heat and 
light) energy. Two substances produce one + synthesis. Exo- 
thermal change. 



30 ROUGH XOTES 

Silver nitrate + sodium chloride gives sodium nitrate and silver 
chloride. Metathesis + combination of other changes. 

Chemical changes are changes in composition. 

Discovery of oxj'gen in 1774. 

A simple body is an element. An element is a substance which 
has not yet been decomposed into two or more simpler substances 
bj^ a process under our control. There are 85 or 86 elements. 



STUDENT'S VERSION (2) 

Science, systematized or classified human knowledge. "Organized 
common sense." Classify in chemistr3^ Don't have to remember 
what everj' chemical does with everj' other. Have classes of bodies, 
as acids, or alkahes. We say a substance acts like an acid; such 
classification helpful. Such classification advances knowledge. 
Classify compounds by their similar properties. 

Abstract sciences, phUosophj^ and logic, deal with general funda- 
mental questions; descriptive sciences, botany and zoologj', deal 
with the similarities and dissimilarities different species of plants 
and animals; concrete sciences Uke physics and chemistry 
deal with phenomena of matter. 

Matter is everything which is perceptible or recognizable by our 
senses. (Ether would come imder this definition). We recognize 
it by its properties; these are manifestations of energy. We study 
the relation between energy and matter. After we subtract prop- 
erties (manifestations of energy) from matter, nothing is left. 
It seems as if energj^ were the only real entity involved. 

How many different kinds of matter are there? We might expect 
an infinite mmiber on the basis of their properties; we don't actually 
find aU substances different. We compare physical properties; 
when many physical properties of two materials are alike, probably 
the substances are identical. It is customary to compare more 
striking properties. 

A law generaUzes a variety of experiences; this is a "natural" 
law. 



ROUGH NOTES 31 

Law of constancy of natural phenomena: under same conditions, 
a substance will always exhibit same properties. 

Granite not one substance. Specimens. It contains 3 different 
materials, quartz, mica, feldspar. The granite itself may be grayish 
or pink or other colors. 

Take some fairly "homogeneous" substances. 

Experiment. Distill water, re-condense, collect water. It is still 
water, with same properties as original water; it was changed 
physically. 

Experiment. Wood broken. Each piece is still wood. 

Experiment. Electric current passed through platinum wire; it 
warms up (resistance), becomes red, expands, changes shape. 
On turning off power, changes reverse. The wire is still platinum. 

Experiment. Wood's alloy melts in hot water. It is still metal. 

Experiment. Iodine crystals, when heated, vaporize. The vapor 
condenses on cold surface of flask; bright crystals of iodine form. 

The above changes were physical. In each case the substances 
changed in their physical properties but since at the end their 
composition (material) was the same, we say physical changes only 
took place. 

Experiment. Wood is set on fire; it burns. It disappears. Sub- 
stance changes. Wood gone. 

Experiment. Wood's metal + nitric acid. Heavy brown fumes 
instantly. White soUd. Metal disappears. 

Experiment. Magnesium — elastic metal ribbon — lustre of metal. 
Burns it. Bright light. Used in flashlight. White ash. Brittle. 
No longer magnesium but now oxide of magnesium. New sub- 
stance forms. Physical changes show us that a new material formed. 

Experiment. Heat sugar. Smoke comes off. Charring takes 
place. New material forms, sugar disappears. 

Experiment. Add red solution to jar — red color disappears, 
pours into third jar and water — white color of second jar changes 



32 ROUGH NOTES 

to blue of thii'd. Substance instantly disappears and change in 
composition takes place. 

The above changes are chemical — a change in the substance — 
a change in the composition of the materials takes place. 

A chemical change is a change in composition of material; it is 
always made evident by the physical properties of the products 
being different from the physical properties of the original materials. 
Some changes take place without any change in composition; 
such changes are considered to be physical only. 

There are different kinds of chemical changes. 

Experiment. Heat browm substance in test tube, a gas forms, this 
is led through glass tube into bottle where it displaces water; a 
white sohd remains in tube. The gas makes a glowing sphnt of 
wood burn more brightly; the soUd Is silver. 

Two substances from one by appHcation of heat. A complex 
substance is decomposed into two simpler bodies. A decomposition 
takes place. Energy (heat) is absorbed. The process is endothermal 
— ■ it uses up energy. 

Experiment. Iron and sulphur separated by magnet. 

Experiment. Iron and sulphiu- separated by carbon bisulphide 
which dissolves sulphur but not iron. Filter off iron. 

Experiment. Heat mixture of iron and sulphur. Turns off light. 
The mixture seems to catch fire, it no longer heats, it continues to 
bum — fire goes up tube. 

A combination takes place. Iron sulphide is synthesized. The 
chemical change was a synthesis. The change was accompanied 
by evolution of heat and Hght. The reaction was exothermal (it 
evolved energy). 

Experiment. Mixes two solutions and gets a white cloudy pre- 
cipitate in a jar. 

Silver nitrate + sodium chloride gives silver chloride + sodium 
nitrate. The silver chloride did not dissolve in water. Two sub- 
stances interact, exchange partners. Called metathesis. 



ROUGH NOTES 33 

A complex body may be made from two simpler bodies (by syn- 
thesis), thus proving it to be complex. Or, by decomposition of a 
complex body into two different substances we can show it to be 
complex. 

Complex bodies are compounds. 

The simple bodies are derived from compounds. Simple substances 
may or may not be further decomposable. 

If a simple body cannot be decomposed it is called an element. 
An element is a simple substance which has not yet been decomposed 
by any process under our control. There are 85 or 86 elements. 
Iron, gold, silver, lead, oxygen, carbon are common elements. We 
use symbols for abbreviation. Fe, Au, Ag, Pb, O2, C for above 
elements. 

Oxygen discovered by Priestley in 1774. 

END OF LECTURE. 



ABSTRACTS 

Abstracts, based either on rewiitten notes or on 
reading, are often required in lectm-e courses. If the 
abstract is submitted partly as an exercise in composi- 
tion, the substance of the article should be reshaped in 
the reader's own words, and the instructor's consent 
should have been obtained. The abstract should always 
bear, imder its title, an acknowledgment of the source, 
as for instance: 

Standardizing Sales Talk 

(Abstract of an article by TVilliam Maxwell, Administration; 
Vol. Ill, Xo. 4 — April, 1922 — P. 401.) 

The instructor should also be consulted as to the form 
of abstract desired. 

Two forms of abstract, illustrated in summaries of a 
lectm'e in Enghsh hteratiu"e, are given below. Both 
these abstracts were produced in the study hom-s follow- 
ing the lectm-e. 

The writer of the first abstract has a sHghtly better 
sense of the value of what he heard. He selects only 
the essential, yet expresses it in a waj- that may suggest 
other details. Note, for instance, his phrase," . . . 
under circumstances which from one point of idew seem 
foohsh, but which, neA'ertheless, reveal the generous 
character of the man, he received a wound which proved 
fatal." Compare the entry under B. 8 in the second 

34 



ABSTRACTS 35 

outline, where the stock story is given more space than 
it deserves. 

As to the form of these two outhnes, clearly the topical 
form is, first, more suggestive. That is to say, it carries 
you on by hitches and pauses in thought, without smooth 
connections. There is, therefore, a chance that, as you 
read, you may pause between items, while your memory 
brings back other details. Second, the topical form is 
more easy to use because it presents ideas separately, 
and shows their relations to one another. 

I 

Lecture IV. Oct. 26, 19—. 

Sir Philip Sidney 

The Elizabethan Age was the most brilliant period of English 
Literature. The versatile and chivalrous characteristics which 
marked the people as well as the literature of the period are well 
illustrated in the life of Sir Philip Sidney. Sidney was the son of a 
court favorite and had all the advantages of the time in the way of 
education and society. He took his degree at Oxford and then 
spent three years on the continent. He was in Paris at the time of 
the Massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day, and saved his life only by 
taking refuge in the British Embassy. On returning home, he be- 
came a favorite at court, and at the age of twenty-two was sent on a 
mission to the Emperor of Germany. Later he was made governor 
of Flushing, a town in Holland, a country which England was at that 
time helping in its struggle against Spain. Here he was engaged in 
constant fights with the Spanish; and in one of these, under cir- 
cumstances which from one point of view seem foohsh, but which, 
nevertheless, reveal the generous character of the man, he received 
a wound which proved fatal. Sidney not only was a poUshed 
courtier who could shine in refined society, but he also could take 
part in the rougher things of life; and his personal bravery gained 
for him the warm admiration of his soldiers. His chief claim to 
fame is not his writings, although these are by no means insigni- 
ficant, but the conception of the ideal gentleman which his life 
exemplified; and it is probable that no man has been more uni- 



36 ABSTRACTS 

versally and sincerely mourned or regretted with more tender feel- 
ings by those who were acquainted with his character than Sidney. 

Sidney's first literary effort took the form of a mask written in 
honor of Queen Ehzabeth. His chief works are "An Apology for 
Poetry," "Astrophel and Stella," and "Arcadia." His prose is 
characterized by the long, involved sentences found in all the prose 
of that time, while his poetry is highly imaginative, especially in 
descriptions, and abounds in phrases expressing noble sentiments. 
"Arcadia" is one of the classics of the English language, and Sid- 
ney's modesty is well shown by the fact that on his death-bed he 
requested that the manuscript of this work, which had not yet been 
published, be destroyed. 

II 

Lecture, Oct. 26, 19—. 

4. ELIZABETHAN SCHOOL OF LITERATURE 

Sir Philip Sidney 

Elizabethan School of Literature, 1600, most briUiant. 

I. Sir Philip Sidney, 1600. ... A typical EUzabethan man. 

A. Man of letters, ideal gentleman, polished courtier, brave 
knight, famous master of language, accomplished in music 
of the time. Although a man of literature and arts, he held 
greatest admiration of his soldiers. Was the flexible Ehza- 
bethan man. Such were the men who founded coast of Amer- 
ica then. 

B. Born in family of good deal of note. 

1. Education. 

Had use of advantages in education and cultivation, — 

best school. 
Educated at Oxford; took his degree (1572-75). 

2. Sidney on the Continent. 

Massacre of Protestants in Paris. He took refuge in 
house of English Ambassador. 

3. Returned home and became court favorite. Sent on 
poUtical embassies, as young men were in those days. 

4. 1578 Wrote "Lady of May" for Elizabeth. 



ABSTRACTS 37 

5. Wrote Arcadia — not intended for publication. At his 
death he direcited it to be destroyed. The adjective — 
Arcadian. His poems passed about to be copied. 

6. Knighted, and married daughter of Sir Francis Walsing- 

ham. 

7. 1684. Sent to Trussia. 

Made governor by Ehzabeth of town of Fkishing, of 
which she had temporary possession as security for 
money she lent to Xetherlands. Sidney very shrewd 
governor. 

8. 1686 — Two years later, he lost his life by an unselfish, 

chivalrous deed. Threw away his leg armor so as not 
to have any advantage over his unarmed brother- 
knight, with w^hom he was going out to a skirmish. 
Mortally wovmded in the leg. 

9. Incident of his, gave his canteen of water to a thirsty 

soldier when he himself was about to drink. 
10. How great must have been his qualities to call forth the 
expression of grief from his soldiers when he died. 

C. Writings. 

1. "Astrophel and Stella." 

Written about Sidney and his lady-love. 

2. "Arcadia." 

(a) Fantastic Romance. Chief characters were two ship- 
wrecked companions. Each thought other dead. 
Finally met, one a chief of brigands, other an am- 
bassador sent to treat with the chief. They dis- 
cover each other, and go off together to Arcadia, 
where the king had two daughters whom he resolved 
should not be wooed. Complications, etc. 
(b) Elaborate, sugary. Full of quality of the imaginative. 
3. "Defense of Poesy." Is important. 

(a) Those nations that have impressed time are the poetry- 
reading and poetry-loving nations. From earliest 
times of literature we find all great times are times of 
poetry-loving and poetry-reading. 

(b) Value of poetry in human development. 



38 ABSTRACTS 

(c) His works are important as they show how men were 
tr\-ing to express their best thoughts in words. 
II. "Literature is a Criticism of Life." 

Matthew Arnold. 

Literature is additions of man to the solution of life. 
Admiration for virtues is the everlasting thing that will stick by 
one, and this was the trend of Ehzabethan literature. 



EXAMINATIONS 

To do himself justice in an examination the student 
needs first of all quiet. The outward conditions must be 
free of distractions. When they are not, one is justified 
in protesting. Proctors who talk in corners and wear 
squeaky boots, neighbors who shake the chair and are 
too near for purposes of privacy and honesty, bad air 
and light, — these things no man is called on to endure. 
Pleasant but firm protest will usually bring improvement. 

Quiet of mind is even more important. This is induced 
by quiet of body. It is siuprising how much more can 
be accomplished if a man will get to the room early, 
settle himself away deliberately at his desk, and then 
keep the body still till the mind can work. No rapid or 
jerky movement should be allowed. Even the snapping 
of the point of a pencil is a danger signal, for it means 
that the whole muscular system is being held tense and 
knotted so that it sends up messages of alarm to the 
brain. 

Deliberate physical movements will lead to deliberate 
method in thinking. It is probably unwise, for instance, 
to read more than one question at a time. There can 
be no advantage in worrying about the fifth question 
while writing the answer to the first. It is certainly 
foolish to answer a question before reading it, yet that 
is, in effect, what many people do. The words printed 
on the examination paper were carefully chosen, and 
they have a definite meaning. What this is precisely 

39 



40 EXAMINATIONS 

may not be evident till one has read them two or three 
times, with individual attention to each phrase, and 
perhaps to each mark of punctuation. Finally, it does 
not follow that a question which suggests nothing at 
first can never be answered. The information is probably 
there, in the back of the head. It may come forward if 
the process' of hunting for it can be kept free of worry. 

As an example of method, we may consider the follow- 
ing specimen examination paper and the way in which it 
should be handled. 

ENGLISH AND HISTORY 

Final Examination 
Time: 2-5 p.m. 

1. Comment on the following ia their relation to the movement 
for government control of the trusts, giving approximate dates, 
provisions of the law and other important details. 

(a) The literature of exposure and its leading publications. 

(6) The Sherman Anti-Trust Law. 

(c) The Northern Securities Case. 

(d) The Federal Reserve System. -^ 

(e) The Clayton Anti-Trust Law. \ 
(/) The Federal Trade Commission. ^ 

2. Explain the successive steps in railroad regulation, with par- 
ticular reference to the following points: 

(a) The Granger Movement. 

(b) The Inter-State Commerce Act. 

(c) The Mann-Elkins Act. 

(fZ) The United States Railroad Administration. 

(e) The return of the railroads and provisions of the Bill. 

3. Explain the succession of causes and effects in a tjrpieal 
business cycle. Then comment in .detail on the Panics of 1873, 
1893 and 1907, showing the special characteristics of each. 



EXAMINATIONS 41 

4. Trace the movement for free silver to 1900, covering: 
(a) The Bland-AUison Act and its effects. 

(6) The Sherman Silver Purchase Act and its effects on the 

Treasury gold reserve, 
(c) The campaign of 1896 and the movement for free silver. 

5. Comment on the relations between the government and 
labor during the War, with particular reference to the following 
points : 

(a) The government's attitude in the threatened strikes of 1919. 
(6) Labor on the Council of National Defense and the Advisory 

Commission, 
(c) The Adamson Law. 

6. Discuss our relations with Cuba as showing the type of im- 
perialism which we develop in dealing with tropical countries in 
our neighborhood. Explain specifically: 

(a) The Teller Resolution. 
(6) The Piatt Amendment. 

(c) The "freedom" of Cuba and the likelihood of further 
intervention. 

7. Explain the parties, the platforms, the candidates and the 
results of the campaign of 1912. 

8. Explain Ex-President Wilson's theory of the Presidency and 
comment on his attempt to work it out in practise, with particular 
reference to the war powers of the President, the relations between 
the President and the Senate, and the Congressional defeat of 1918 
and the reaction of the country. 

There are eight questions; three hours are allowed. 
It will be best, then, to divide the time in advance, 
allowing, say, twenty minutes for review of the whole. 
If at the end of the twenty minutes the question is not 
finished, a blank space will be left for the remainder of 
the reply and the student will go on, according to schedule, 
with the next. 



42 EXAMINATIONS 

The questions will be taken in the order in which they 
appear on the paper. To begin with 3 or 5 is "bad 
psychologJ^" It obHges the reader to check up to 
make sure that all the questions are there, and it gives 
him the impression that the man who wrote the answers 
was badly or unevenly prepared. 

Everj^ possible guide will be used to make the questions 
easy to foUow and to make important dates and titles 
stand out. As a matter of com'se the nmnber of the 
questions wiU be given, and all the suggested subheadings 
ifl)j (^)j (c), etc. will be reproduced as needed. Following 
that plan, the first question, for instance, might be an- 
swered somewhat as follows: (The answer is given as 
found on an actual examination paper, and the language 
and substance have not been changed.) 



EH 13 — June 7, 19— 
From Examinatiox Book of Johx Doe, '25 X\^2. 
I 

a) The literature of exposure was what led to the use of the 
term "muckraking." When Roosevelt definitely started on a 
campaign of "trust-busting" he was at first aided in his program 
by securing the backing of public opinion through the medium of 
the "muckrakers" or reform journaUsts, who spent great sums in 
investigating "big business" and whose pubUcations of business 
consoUdation data and scandals brought these matters to the 
public attention. Important exposures were made by the Hearst 
system of news journals and magazines, by the ten-cent magazines, 
such as Mimsey's, McClure's, etc. and a great contribution was 
that of Ida :M. Tarbell in her "History of the Standard Oil Com- 
pany." The literature of exposure did not stop when big business 
control was fairly established. It became an institution and is 
operative today in practically all newspapers. 



EXAMINATIONS 43 

b) The Sherman Anti-Trust Law of 1890 was designed to secure 
a regulation of corporation activities by the government. It con- 
cerned chiefly those corporations whose mergers had tended towards 
or had actually created monopohes and which accordingly were 
enabled to exploit the particular field of their operations, its design 
was to prohibit by its enactment the formation of corporations 
causing monopohes. 

c) The Northern Securities Case resulted from the fact that 
several railroad lines of the West pooled their securities while 
keeping the actual railroading part of their administrations separate. 
This merger of finances was created by the formation of the North- 
ern Securities Company, a corporation which took its charter in 
New Jersey due to the easy terms that State demanded in granting 
corporation charters. It controlled the securities and finances of 
the roads involved, and the company had as directors chosen rep- 
resentatives of the roads. It was a great consolidation and amounted 
to a monopoly of railroad privileges in the West and Northwest. 
When Roosevelt showed some signs of a tendency towards govern- 
ment control of such consolidations, the popular cry of the North- 
western people against this Northern Securities Company led 
Roosevelt to ask his Attorney-General, Philander C. Knox, to 
investigate the possibility of securing a verdict outlawing this 
company. People thought Knox, who had been identified with 
big business for years, would not operate against corporations but 
he succeeded in putting this deal over and the Northern Secruities 
Company was forced to dissolve. 

d) The Federal Reserve System was installed under William G. 
McAdoo as Secretary of the Treasurj'. The details of the plan 
were laid by the House Committee on Finance with Carter Glass 
of Virginia as Chairman. The forerunners of the system were the 
Commissions appointed by Roosevelt and Taft and the recommend- 
ations of Senator Aldrich for a "Central Bank." Glass's Com- 
mittee urged Aldrich's idea without actually establishing a "Cen- 
tral Bank." In substance it was as follows: The country to be 
divided into districts (afterwards made 12) each of which was to 
have a Federal Reserve Bank, other banks in the district could 
become member-banks of the system and deposit in the Reserve 
Bank their surplus collateral, the Reserve Bank would then have 
a fund which it could use to establish credit in its district to farmers, 



44 EXAMINATIONS 

business and commercial enterprises, etc. This iasm-ed the elastic- 
ity of credit as well as money and prevented the money from 
goiQg to Wall St. for speculative purposes while the farmers went 
to the deuce for credit. Each Reserve Bank was allowed to 
issue notes on real security or property held and so added an elas- 
ticity to the cm-rency. The idea was adopted with protests by the 
money interests but they afterwards subscribed heartily to the 
idea and now boast of membership in the System by their adver- 
tisements. It furnished government control of the currency and 
is a preventive to the formation of a money monopoly. 

e) The Clayton Anti-Trust Law as passed ia WUson's first ad- 
ministration, aimed to secure control of corporate movements 
not by the law of prohibition but by a differentiation between 
good and bad trusts and bj' an appeal to the trusts to voluntarily 
refrain from the formation of harmful monopohes. 

f) The Federal Trade Commission was created along the same 
lines as the Interstate Commerce Commission and was designed 
to do approximately the work of price-fising of commocUties as the 
Commerce Commission did on railroad rates. It was appointed 
by Wilson during his first term after being authorized by Congress. 

Questions 3, 7, and 8 are not pro\4ded with a ready- 
made outline. They should, therefore, be all the more 
carefully planned and skeletonized for the reader's bene- 
fit. The following is a typical answer to 8, fairly good 
reading, rather unpressive in its flow of language, but 
not definite, not showing real study of the facts. It 
might have been written by ahnost any clever person 
accustomed to read the newspapers. 

EH 13 — June 7, 19— 
From Examination Book of Richard Roe, '25 1 2. 



WUson's theory, expanded while in Princeton, was that the 
President is just what he makes himself, and he can be the biggest 
man in the countrv if he so desires. Wilson has often been criti- 



EXAMINATIONS 45 

cized as the Czar, but Roosevelt had similar ideas as to presi- 
dential powers, and in him they were called "pep" and "punch." 
Wilson, as soon as he became President, started with this theory 
as a basis; and one must admit, although one may not agree with 
Wilson, that any theory that gets as much real work out of Congress 
as Wilson's did is some theory. His first attempt was the Under- 
wood-Simmons tariff and he kept Congress right at it until it was 
passed. 

The same way with the Federal Reserve System, which is a 
monument of financial genius. 

The first years of Wilson's administration were marked by a 
distinct unity, and the way in which he was able to keep his party 
together was nothing short of marvellous. 

During the War, the President assumed or was delegated almost 
unlimited power. The usual criticism was heard — in fact it would 
be hard to find an instance when anything that happened was not 
criticized by some one or other — to the effect that Wilson was 
stepping into the shoes of an absolute monarch. However, none 
among the critics seemed willing or able to do the job himself, and 
it was evident that there would have to be some sort of head to 
the thing, or we would be like an army where everyone was colonel. 
It would be hard to deny that Wilson was the real boss during the 
War; but it would be also hard to deny that he surrounded himself 
with competent advisors and went through with the job pretty well, 
considering its size and character. After the close of the War and 
during the Peace Conference, Wilson may have gone too far in 
going to Paris. But he was moved by a high idealism, which was 
far over the heads of the mob — also by a high regard for his own 
powers; for Wilson was by no means a match for the astute Euro- 
pean diplomats. Wilson's ideal of democracj' was very good; 
but he could not very well put it across in the state in which the 
world was at the time, with everyone clamoring for reparations, 
all wanting the fruits of victory. 

The reaction of 1918 was due to a letting down of the tension, 
and a bitter resentment against the taxation which had prevailed 
during the War, but which could not be manifested for fear of 
suspicion. A general disappointment of Wilson's after-war policy 
followed, and the Republicans grew in power. While Wilson had 



46 EXAMINATIONS 

Congress with him he kept them pretty well in line. When the 
Repubhcan Senate came in, however, thej^ began to make trouble 
for him right away, with the avowed intention of discrediting the 
administration at the coming presidential election. The Senate 
warned him that if he brought back a treaty with a League of 
Nations tacked on they would refuse to ratify it. He brought it 
back and they kept their promise. 

It is very difficiilt to make an impartial judgment of the Wilson 
administration and Wilson's policies at this time. Wilson came 
into power without reaUy foreseeing the international comphca- 
tions into which we were about to be drawn, and started in on a 
weU-planned domestic pohcy. That the tariff and the Reserve 
System inaugurated under Wilson were successful is an estab- 
lished fact. The war also seems to have been carried on fairly weU. 
It was the trips to Paris that hurt Wilson in the eyes of the people; 
and he reaUy did not belong at the Peace Conference. Wilson was 
a man with an ideal, and a certain supply of egotism. In using the 
latter to reahze the former he apparently forgot there were others 
in the world beside himself, and as a result has come in for a large 
share of criticism, some of it not due him, to be sure, but a good 
deal of it justified. 

The following answer to the same question is an ex- 
ample of better method, in that it divides the question 
under headings, properly underscored and separated, 
and attempts to give as many of the facts as the 
writer could remember and to give them in the fewest 
possible words. 

8. Mr. Wilson and the presidential office. 

(a) Attitude toward the Presidency. As Mr. Wilson had said 
before election, "The President is at liberty, ... to be as big 
a man as he can." "He has no means of compelling Congress 
except through pubUc opinion." He was not a favorite with the 
reactionary Democrats and had no adequately trained leaders in 
Congress. His best chance was to put through progressive measures, 
and to do this he must rely on his own leadership. 



EXAMINATIONS 47 

(6) War Powers. The exigencies of the control of the War led 
gradually to the formation of a sort of dictatorship of the country 
under President Wilson and various boards appointed by him. 
In 1917, the Espionage Act and various acts were passed relating 
to trading with the enemy and the conservation of food and fuel. 
In the latter part of the year the railroads were taken over, under 
powers granted earlier. In 1918, the Fuel Administration and the 
Oil Division were set up. Congestion and depression led to an 
attack by Senator Chamberlain and a proposal for the creation of 
a Munitions Ministry, but instead the Overman Act was passed, 
giving the President complete powers to create and change agencies 
and to transfer funds. He had become virtually a dictator. 

(c) Elections of 1918. Naturally Mr. Wilson felt that a con- 
tinuation of these policies could be assured only by returning a 
Democratic Congress to power in 1918, and he issued an appeal to 
the country in an open letter. The Republicans used this incident 
in making the charge of excessive partisanship against him, and, 
from this and other reasons, the Democratic party went oiit of 
power in both Senate and House. 

(d) The Peace Treaty. In the same way Mr. Wilson felt that 
only he could conduct the negotiations at the Peace Conference; 
but when the Senate refused to ratify the treaty which he brought 
back, it became evident that he was no longer the leader of a united 
country. His overwhelming importance in the War had produced 
the inevitable reaction. 



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